The Story of Grettir the Strong. Anonymous

his huge strength, his long endurance in outlawry, his gift for dealing with ghosts and evil spirits, the famous vengeance taken for him in Micklegarth; and, lastly, the fortunate life and good end of Thorstein Dromund, his brother and avenger.

      Such is the outline of this tale of a man far above his fellows in all matters valued among his times and people, but also far above them all in ill-luck, for that is the conception that the story-teller has formed of the great outlaw. To us moderns the real interest in these records of a past state of life lies principally in seeing events true in the main treated vividly and dramatically by people who completely understood the manners, life, and, above all, the turn of mind of the actors in them. Amidst many drawbacks, perhaps, to the modern reader, this interest is seldom or ever wanting in the historical sagas, and least of all in our present story; the sagaman never relaxes his grasp of Grettir's character, and he is the same man from beginning to end; thrust this way and that by circumstances, but little altered by them; unlucky in all things, yet made strong to bear all ill-luck; scornful of the world, yet capable of enjoyment, and determined to make the most of it; not deceived by men's specious ways, but disdaining to cry out because he must needs bear with them; scorning men, yet helping them when called on, and desirous of fame: prudent in theory, and wise in foreseeing the inevitable sequence of events, but reckless beyond the recklessness even of that time and people, and finally capable of inspiring in others strong affection and devotion to him in spite of his rugged self-sufficing temper—all these traits which we find in our sagaman's Grettir seem always the most suited to the story of the deeds that surround him, and to our mind most skilfully and dramatically are they suggested to the reader.

      As is fitting, the other characters are very much subordinate to the principal figure, but in their way they are no less life-like; the braggart—that inevitable foil to the hero in a saga—was never better represented than in the Gisli of our tale; the thrall Noise, with his carelessness, and thriftless, untrustworthy mirth, is the very pattern of a slave; Snorri the Godi, little though there is of him, fully sustains the prudent and crafty character which follows him in all the Sagas; Thorbiorn Oxmain is a good specimen of the overbearing and sour chief, as is Atli, on the other hand, of the kindly and high-minded, if prudent, rich man; and no one, in short, plays his part like a puppet, but acts as one expects him to act, always allowing the peculiar atmosphere of these tales; and to crown all, as the story comes to its end, the high-souled and poetically conceived Illugi throws a tenderness on the dreadful story of the end of the hero, contrasted as it is with that of the gloomy, superstitious Angle.

      Something of a blot, from some points of view, the story of Spes and Thorstein Dromund (of which more anon) must be considered; yet whoever added it to the tale did so with some skill considering its incongruous and superfluous nature, for he takes care that Grettir shall not be forgotten amidst all the plots and success of the lovers; and, whether it be accidental or not, there is to our minds something touching in the contrast between the rude life and tragic end of the hero, and the long, drawn out, worldly good hap and quiet hopes for another life which fall to the lot of his happier brother.

      As to the authorship of our story, it has no doubt gone through the stages which mark the growth of the Sagas in general, that is, it was for long handed about from mouth to mouth until it took a definite shape in men's minds; and after it had held that position for a certain time, and had received all the necessary polish for an enjoyable saga, was committed to writing as it flowed ready made from the tongue of the people. Its style, in common with that of all the sagas, shows evidences enough of this: for the rest, the only name connected with it is that of Sturla Thordson the Lawman, a man of good position and family, and a prolific author, who was born in 1214 and died 1284; there is, however, no proof that he wrote the present work, though we think the passages in it that mention his name show clearly enough that he had something to do with the story of Grettir: on the whole, we are inclined to think that a story of Grettir was either written by him or under his auspices, but that the present tale is the work of a later hand, nor do we think so complete a saga-teller, as his other undoubted works show him to have been, would ever have finished his story with the epilogue of Spes and Thorstein Dromund, steeped as that latter part is with the spirit of the mediaeval romances, even to the distinct appropriation of a marked and well-known episode of the Tristram; though it must be admitted that he had probably plenty of opportunity for being versed in that romance, as Tristram was first translated into the tongue of Norway in the year 1226, by Brother Robert, at the instance of King Hakon Hakonson, whose great favourite Sturla Thordson was, and whose history was written by him.

      For our translation of this work we have no more to say than to apologise for its shortcomings, and to hope, that in spite of them, it will give some portion of the pleasure to our readers which we felt in accomplishing it ourselves.

      EIRÍKR MAGNÚSSON, WILLIAM MORRIS.

      LONDON, April 1869.

CHRONOLOGY OF THE STORY.

       Table of Contents

      872. The battle of Hafrsfirth.

       874. Begins the settlement of Iceland.

       cca.897. Thrand and Ufeigh Grettir settle Gnup-Wardsrape.

       cca.900. Onund Treefoot comes to Iceland.

       cca.920. Death of Onund Treefoot.

       929. The Althing established.

       997 (?). Grettir born.

       1000. Christianity sanctioned by law.

       1004. Skapti Thorodson made lawman.

       1011. Grettir slays Skeggi; goes abroad, banished for three years.

       1012. Slaying of Thorir Paunch and his fellows in Haramsey.

       Earl Eric goes to Denmark.

       1013. Slaying of Biorn at the Island of Gartar.

       Slaying of Thorgils Makson. Illugi Asmundson

       born. Death of Thorkel Krafla.

       1014. Slaying of Gunnar in Tunsberg. Grettir goes

       back to Iceland; fights with the men of Meal

       on Ramfirth-neck. Heath-slayings. Thorgeir

       Havarson outlawed. Fight with Glam

       the ghost.

       1015. Fight of Nesjar in Norway. Slaying of Thorbiorn

       Tardy. Grettir fares abroad. Burning

       of the sons of Thorir of Garth. Death of

       Asmund the Greyhaired.

       1016. Grettir meets King Olaf; fails to bear iron; goes

       east to Tunsberg to Thorstein Dromund.

       Slaying of Atli of Biarg. Grettir outlawed

       at the Thing for the burning of the sons of

       Thorir; his return to Iceland. Slaying of

       Thorbiorn Oxmain and his son Arnor.

       1017. Grettir at Reek-knolls. Lawsuit for the slaying

       of Thorbiorn Oxmain. Grettir taken by

       the Icefirth churls.

       1018. Grettir at Liarskogar with Thorstein Kuggson;

       his travels to the East to Skapti the lawman

       and Thorhall of Tongue, and thence to the

       Keel-mountain, where he met Hallmund

       (Air) for the first time.

       1019–1021. Grettir on Ernewaterheath.

       1021. Grettir goes to the Marshes.

       1022–1024. Grettir in Fairwoodfell.

       1024. Grettir visits Hallmund again.

       1025. Grettir discovers Thorirs-dale.

       1025–1026. Grettir travels round by the East; haunts

       Madderdale-heath and Reek-heath.

       1026. Thorstein Kuggson